“When he and Johnson are in there together, they’re a different team.,” Bradley said.

Stafford, the first pick in last April’s draft, played relatively well in the Lions’ first four games, then sat out two games with a knee injury of his own and struggled mightily (14 of 33 for 168 yards and an interception) last Sunday against St. Louis with Johnson sidelined.

Bradley said Johnson provides a safe outlet for Stafford when teams bring extra pressure to rattle the rookie.

“Stafford is pretty good at that and the big reason for him is he just looks out to Johnson when he’s there. He says, you know what, I might be wrong or right, but I’ll throw it up to him and it’s a 50-50 ball. He recognizes pressures pretty well.”